It was a massive night in France as Stade Brestois 29 stormed to a 4-0 win over FC Red Bull Salzburg to continue their unbeaten run in the Champions League, and as with all great celebrations, it was Brest's young Irish goalkeeper who was front and centre.
While today Ireland's pedigree in world football may be a mere shadow of the hey-days of Italia 90, USA 94 and even the infamous Saipan 02, one thing that hasn't changed is Ireland's exceptional production of World Class goalkeepers.
While in by-gone days it was the likes of Packie Bonner and Shay Given flying the tri-colour on the world stage, recent years have seen Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher and Southampton's Gavin Bazunu tussling for a start between the posts on the Irish team.
However, it now appears that Bazunu and Kelleher could have company, with an Irish 20-year-old taking his place among the substitutions for Brest in their Champions League clash with FC Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday evening.
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Irish goalkeeper revels in Brest's Champions League success
20-year-old Noah Jauny who has been capped at underage level for Ireland is currently Stade Brestois 29's 3rd-choice goalkeeper and featured on the bench for last night's win over Salzburg, with the Irish man clearly leading the dancing in Brest's post-match celebrations.
Born in Dublin in 2004, Jauny kicked off his career with Home Farm Academy in Dublin before he made the move to Shamrock Rovers at about twelve years of age, where he played alongside Gavin Bazunu. While in 2020 there was reported interest from English football clubs, Jauny opted for a move to Brest in France instead.
If nothing else, Jauny certainly looks to be enjoying himself, with the Dubliner appearing front and centre of all Brest's post-match celebration videos.
A little 𝐜𝐫𝐢 𝐝𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞 to start this day? 😎 pic.twitter.com/UNqC61xyZA
— Stade Brestois 29 (@SB29) October 2, 2024
While Noah Jauny himself is from Dublin, his father Stephane Jauny a former League of Ireland player who played for Dundalk and St. Pats among others hails from France. As a result, Noah's family ties appear to have made for somewhat of an easier transition when he moved to Brest at 16.
While the move to France might be a more alternative path than most budding Irish goalkeepers take, it appears Jauny has had little trouble settling in, with the Irish 20-year-old also smack in the middle of Brest's post-match selfies.
𝑼𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒖𝒆!
Relive the joy of the Ty-Zefs in the locker room after their fabulous victory on the Salzburg pitch ⚡️
3 minutes 45 of pure pleasure 😍
— Stade Brestois 29 (@SB29) October 2, 2024
Whether the ease at which Jauny appears to have settled in can be attributed to his family ties or not, his clearly valued place in the Brest squad can only bode well for the future of Irish goalkeeping.
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